No injuries in Stanford chemical lab spill

STANFORD -- A chemical spill Friday night at Stanford University sparked a hazardous-materials response from the Palo Alto Fire Department.

Firefighters were called to 418 Panama Mall at about 8:20 p.m. after a worker found four to five gallons of spilled ethanol or methanol, Battalion Chief Doug Conn said. The spill occurred in a hazardous materials storage area of the building, he said.

"You couldn't have a better place for it to happen," Conn said, adding that a double set of barriers contained the spill.

Conn said it wasn't immediately clear what caused the spill, but no one was injured or exposed to the highly flammable substance. The building is home to a mechanical engineering research laboratory. The Stanford Department of Public Safety advised people to stay clear of the area during the incident.

The university's Environmental Health and Safety Department was tasked with cleaning up the spill, Conn said. Firefighters remained at the scene as backup until about 10:45 p.m.